I do not own Ranma ½. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi
Talking
Thinking
One year. One year since I last saw his face. One year since I last saw that cocky grin. One year since we shared that night.
These thoughts were shared by two women as they approached a graveyard. They walked side by side, both feeling the loss that this day represented. They both carried bundles with them, taking care not to bump them on the headstones as they approached the one they were here to see.
Ranma Saotome
The grave sight looked like it hadn't been attended to since it had been erected. The two women set their bundles next to the headstone so they could be quickly accessed. They tended to the sight, cleaning up the overgrowth and placing flowers at the base. After they were done, they knelt and thought of the young man that had changed their lives so suddenly and yet so completely.
He had come into their lives suddenly and with no warning. While they had met him at different times, they both knew that he had impacted their lives. He brought with him change and their lives hadn't been the same since. He had been the best martial artist of his generation, yet to the two women at his final resting place he had been so much more.
After a moment of staring at the headstone, the first turned to the second and said, "To think, none of this would have happened if I hadn't shown up at the dojo that day."
Flashback
One day after the failed wedding
Ranma Saotome went through the day, thinking that it was just another day. He had been awakened by his father throwing him out the window. Then he didn't even get to finish his morning spar due to P-chan appearing in the back yard and Akane almost instantly claiming Ranma was picking on him followed by a trip to school on Akane Airways.
School was pretty much the same; fight Kuno at least three times and avoid getting drained by Ms. Hinako. He also prevented Happosai from escaping the school grounds with his latest acquisitions. Then he dealt with three of his fiancés trying to feed him during lunch. Thankfully, it seemed Kodachi had been busy elsewhere.
"Well, at least nothing out of the ordinary has happened today. I don't think I could take it after the whole Saffron incident and then the failed wedding."
Ranma forgot one important fact. Things always happen in threes. Though, seeing as he hadn't been taught this rule, it's not surprising that he didn't give it any thought. Later that day, something would happen that would change his life.
The rest of his day progressed pretty normally. He finished his school day, prevented the principle from shaving a students head, stopped Happosai yet again and started to walk home with Akane and Nabiki.
As they neared the Tendo Dojo, Ranma sensed that something was off. Something he felt he should recognize, but he couldn't place it at the moment. As he entered the house, the feeling got stronger, but he still could not place where it was originating from. Until he walking into the dining room that is.
Sitting across from Kasumi sat Herb, looking like she had just been through hell and back again. Ranma stared for a moment before asking, "Herb, what happened to you? I thought you were going back home."
Herb looked up at the sound of Ranma's voice and the haggard look on her face became even more so and she started to cry. Ranma, not being able to stand seeing a girl cry, even one he knows is a guy, sat down next to her and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you here in Nerima and why are you a girl? I'm sure Kasumi…" Herb interrupted him before he could continue.
"I am here because once my father heard of our fight on that mountain; he felt I had stained the honor of my family by losing to a mere human. So he decided that I should be locked again in this form and exiled from my home, and like this for the rest of my life."
Ranma comforted her until she calmed down and promptly fell asleep. He picked her up and carried her to his room and set her on his bed. He stared at her for a moment before saying to her unconscious form, "I'm sorry our fight cost you so much, Herb. If it takes the rest of my life, I will find a way to make it up to you."
End Flashback
Herb smiled softly at the woman next to her. "Did he really say that?" The woman next to her glanced back at the grave before quickly nodding. Herb smiled sadly and said, "To think, the man who cost me what I believed to be everything was the one who taught me to live again. Without him, I probably would have taken my life by now."
The other woman looked at her for a moment, considering her words before saying, "Without him, I probably wouldn't have learned to live. I'd still be where I was before he came into my life. I was stuck in a life I didn't want but could never escape."
Once again turning to the grave in front of them, she said, "He came and saved me. He made me see what was wrong with the life I led. He broke me out of my shell and got me to see that I deserved to live too, that I was important."
Flashback
We see Ranma talking to a priest, trying to figure out a way to exorcize a demon that had inhabited Kasumi.
"All you have to do is place a ward with the kanji for bean on it." The priest told Ranma.
Time Skip
Ranma stands in the dojo in a tux. Shampoo and Ukyo are throwing explosives everywhere. He sees one head towards Kasumi and moves to intercept it. He gets there just in time to protect Kasumi from the explosion. He looks up at her and asks, "Are you okay, Kasumi?" Kasumi nods to him and he smiles at her before passing out.
Time Skip
Kasumi is now in a hospital bed, her leg in a cast. Ranma is sitting next to her bed, a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry Kasumi. I should have been there. I should have been able to save you." He continued to apologize while Kasumi thought about how she had ended up in this situation.
Flashback
Kasumi was going about her daily chores. She smiled at how calm the house was and she knew she had Herb to thank for it. Since Herb had moved in a few days ago, she had convinced Genma to move back in with Nodoka, and Ranma's rivals didn't show up as often. Unfortunately, as Kasumi went outside to hang up the laundry, Ranma and Ryoga came into the yard, Ryoga in hot pursuit of Ranma.
"Ranma, you cad, how dare you cheat on Akane with that gaijin you have living with you."
As usual, Ryoga simply heard a rumor about Ranma and automatically assumed the worst. Ranma didn't see Kasumi when he dodged an umbrella strike from Ryoga that kicked up a lot of rubble and set rocks flying. One of the larger pieces hit Kasumi in the leg, breaking her leg, just below the knee.
Ranma looked over as Kasumi screamed in pain, then glared back at Ryoga. "Ryoga, I've ignored your blatant endangerment of other in our fights before, but now you've gone too far!" The ensuing melee was the most one sided fight the dojo had ever seen. After it was all over, Ryoga was a bloody mess on the lawn and Ranma had called an ambulance for Kasumi.
End Flashback
Kasumi glanced back at Ranma who was still apologizing. "Kasumi, I promise that while you're unable to walk, I'll do your chores for you, cook the meals, and run all the errands."
Kasumi giggled and said, "Thank you Ranma for caring, but I'm sure that everything will be okay." Ranma looked at her and grinned, "You're right Kasumi. It'll be okay in the end. I just feel bad that I didn't prevent this like I know I could have. I just feel like this is my fault. I just hope I find a way to make it up to you." Kasumi smiled back at him, noticing the similarity of the words he just said and the words he had said to an unconscious Herb.
End Flashback
Kasumi smiled softly and said, "He worried so much about hurting us. He wasn't even the one who directly hurt either of us, but took the blame on himself anyway. So selfless, even when he had no guilt." Tears started to fall from both women's eyes as they continued to remember the young martial artist. Herb continued with, "Yes he was. Even in the last moments of his life, he remained selfless. He gave up everything for us." Both women broke out in sobs as they remembered the final moments of Ranma Saotome.
Flashback
It was midday and Ranma stood in the backyard of the dojo, Kasumi and Herb behind him. Surrounding the trio were most of the people Ranma had encountered since his arrival in Nerima. Cologne was standing at the head of 50 Amazon warriors, including Shampoo and Mouse. Genma and Soun stood together with Akane, all the while talking about his duty to marry Akane.
Kodachi and Tatewaki stood side by side, with Ukyo and Konatsu nearby. Happosai and Taro joined the group after Happosai promised to change his name if he helped with Ranma. Ryoga stood with his umbrella and even Rogue was there after being convinced to help by Taro. All these people were here for Ranma, either to kill him or to make him their groom.
Nabiki stood off to the side, in shock about what was happening outside. Who knew that everyone would react this badly? Nabiki then fled the area, not wanting to become collateral damage.
What was the cause of all this? Well, 2 weeks prior to this event, Kasumi and Herb had both gone to Ranma and told him how they had come to feel about him. Ranma being a man of his word gave them something they asked for, one night. In that night, both women felt like they had gone to heaven. Unfortunately, word of this night had been sold to all those willing to buy the information.
After everyone found out about the night Ranma shared with Herb and Kasumi, they got together and began to plan. Everyone present had their own motives for wanting to get back at Ranma; all were clear on the subject that Ranma must be brought to pay for whatever wrong they believe he has committed. As they continued to back Ranma, Kasumi and Herb into a corner of the yard, it became obvious to Ranma that this mob was out for blood, be it his own or the two women behind him.
And so, seeing that he had no other way, Ranma used a technique that he had heard about from Kimma. She said that if he had known how strong Ranma actually was; Saffron would have used a technique called "Last Stand of the Phoenix King." After talking with Kimma about this technique, Ranma set out to make a technique of his own.
As the situation worsened, he realized that there was no other way. So when the group surrounding him started to close the gap, he shouted, "Last Stand of the Phoenix King Revised: Final Charge of the Wild Stallion!" The flash that accompanied the technique was blinding, everyone in Nerima had to close their eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded.
Herb closed her eyes the second she felt Ranma's ki flare, and yelled to Kasumi to do the same. The two women hugged each other as the young man protecting them released a massive amount of energy. As the energy died down, Herb could have sworn she heard Ranma say, "I'm sorry Herb and Kasumi. I wish there had been another way."
Herb opens her eyes when she feels the energy dissipate. The scene that greets her is a gruesome one. The yard was destroyed and the dojo was in ruins. There was no vegetation left in the yard, the tree and even the grass was nothing but charcoal. Amazingly the house remained untouched. She pulled Kasumi up and said, "It's over now. You can look around if you want, but it's not a pretty sight." She admitted to herself that she felt a little sick herself just looking around.
At their feet lay Ranma. His body looked untouched and appeared as if he could be sleeping if not for the stillness of his chest. The others in the yard were not so lucky. Cologne was the only one who appeared whole and untouched as Ranma was, but she was quickly covered due to the look of shock and fear frozen on her dead face.
Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, and Akane were only identifiable by the blackened weapons still clutched in their charred hands. Only Ryoga's backpack and the skeleton of his umbrella could be seen, while all that appeared to remain of Mouse was the chains on the ground near where he had been standing. Taro and Rogue could only be recognized by the unique body structure their cursed forms gave them.
Weapons littered the yard, their owners gone from the world. The two women stared at the carnage that the dead young man had wrought. Neither moved nor said a word. After some time, neither could really tell how long it was, Nodoka came into the yard through the house. "Kasumi, where is…" That is as far as she got before she laid eyes on the devastation that was the yard. She broke down at the sight of her son, and was quickly followed by Kasumi and Herb.
End Flashback
The two women shed tears at the memory of the last moment of the greatest martial artist the world had ever seen. They both looked up as a hand was placed on their shoulders and a voice said, "May I have a moment with my son, ladies?" Both nodded to Nodoka as they moved to check their bundles, taking care to not jostle them too much as they picked them up and stood away from the site to give the woman time alone.
Nodoka waited until the two women were standing apart from her, and then she turned to where her son lay. She looked it over for a moment before she said, "As I am sure you know by now, they miss you my son. Not a day goes by that you are not in their thoughts. I miss you too, Ranma. I wish I that there had been more time. I would have liked to have met the man my son would have become." She let a few tears fall before continuing, "Even though so much was lost that day, you left more than you knew my son. Your school and your family will live on."
Nodoka smiled sadly and dries her eyes as she turns from Ranma's grave. "I'm proud of you, my son. You made a decision and you stuck by it, to the end. I wish you were standing here, so I could tell you in person." Tears start to fall again as she says, "I wanted your children to know who you were. I wanted to know you better. I wanted so many things, but those things can not be anymore. Know that we love you and that though you are gone, you live on through those you left behind."
Nodoka stopped there as she heard a familiar sound from where Herb and Kasumi were waiting. She giggles and comments before leaving, "My grandchildren have your appetite, my son."
AN: Well, hope you all enjoyed this. I'll be updating my other stories as soon as I can. Please read and review